Woman found dead identified

ESCALON — The San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office on Thursday identified a woman found dead on the banks of the Stanislaus River early Tuesday as Lynette Garza, 23, of Modesto.

The Record

ESCALON — The San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office on Thursday identified a woman found dead on the banks of the Stanislaus River early Tuesday as Lynette Garza, 23, of Modesto.

California Highway Patrol officers found Garza’s body after responding to a report of a vehicle accident about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday in the 25800 block of East River Road in Escalon. They found an abandoned car on the roadway and Garza’s body, which showed signs of “severe trauma,” on an embankment about 60 feet away.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and has ruled Garza’s death a homicide.